Palo Alto police have arrested a San Jose man in connection with the robberies of a pizza delivery man and a woman whose purse was snatched as she returned home.
Dean Allen Holmes Jr., 23, was arrested and booked at the Main Jail in San Jose on Jan. 19 for the robberies, Palo Alto police announced Tuesday (Feb. 22).
On Dec. 11, 2010, a woman was robbed of her purse in front of her home in the 900 block of El Cajon Way at 7:04 p.m.
The victim was returning home and parked her car in the driveway. As she approached her front door, she heard footsteps behind her. The suspect grabbed her from behind, took her purse and fled, police said.
On Jan. 10, 2011, at 9:15 p.m., a local pizza delivery driver was returning to his parked vehicle in the 4000 block of Ben Lomond Drive when a man approached and robbed him of his property at gunpoint. The victim was not hurt during the robbery, police said.
Holmes was identified as a suspect in the December robbery through extensive investigations and a parole search, police said.
He was arrested after an iPod purchased with the female victim’s stolen credit card was found in his home.
During the investigation, information was discovered that Holmes may have been involved in an additional robbery.
The pizza-delivery man was shown a photo lineup and positively identified Holmes as the man who robbed him.
Holmes was booked on charges of parole violation with recommended charges of two counts of robbery, burglary and illegal use of a stolen credit card, police said.
> illegal use of a stolen credit card, police said
Using a stolen credit card will raise red flags for police to take notice of ..
> and a parole search
Not exactly clear what this is, but presumably all of the pictures of people on parole are on file somewhere.
The suggestions that have emerged, of late, to combine the resources of local police departments is reinforced by the collaboration between the various police departments needed to solve these sorts of crimes.
It would be very desirable for all of the crime to be known to a central database, that all police can have access to. In addition, having all of the mug shots on-line, and linked to this “crime database” would allow local police to specify the details of a crime, and the database would kick out all crimes that have similar characteristics, including the mug shots of those arrested. This would save the investigating officers a lot of “shoe leather” getting an investigation going.
Well .. another “perp” is off the street.
Post a picture! We want to know who he is!!
Well, well, well, the scumbag didn’t come from EPA. Some loser was blaming EPA’s lower crime stats for the higher crime in PA. Lookee here – criminals come from other towns to prey on PA folks. Yep, get a clue. So glad this guy was caught – he was a baddie. I hope the victims will feel safer.
You are absolutely correct Hmmm, not every criminal comes out of EPA. There does seem to be a disproportionate number of criminals and gangs that are in EPA however. You being a resident, any explanation or theories why?
I like the fact that this arrest came just days following the pizza man hold up, but wasn’t reported publicly for a month thereafter.
Getting your facts and evidence in hand before announcing an arrest strikes me as prudent.
Parole violation? I wonder what he was in for earlier and how he got paroled so quickly, being only 23. Gun crime now, if convicted, should keep him off our streets at least until he’s 26.
Dear Hmmmm, I think I detect an over-sensitivity there. Why do you think that any time a crime is committed we all automatically assume the perp is from EPA? It is a good think that the police don’t think that, or most crimes would go unsolved while police ransacked EPA for the criminals.
BTW, thanks go out to the police who worked to get this guy off the streets. He has been a naughty boy and needs a time-out.
Yes, I do believe that whenever a street crime is reported, the Tea Partiers automatically assume that the perp is non-white.
Well thank god he’s caught! Hats off to the PA police and thanks to PA Weekly for keeping us updated. No matter where this guy is from, he’s a bad guy that has caused us a lot of stress and concern over his actions. It’s not time for us to be complacent. We still need to be aware of our surrounding and what is happening in our neighborhood. But I’m happy to hear they found the guy!
Way to go… And thank you police. I also think there should be one database… It’s also very cowardly preying on a pizza delivery person, someone who’s trying to make an honest living. Shame on all you thieves.
we still dont trust police. they are still anti muslim and racist. and anti semitic, truth be told.
Pro old…..you have issues! Those are big statements to be throwing around and my guess is you don’t know anyone at the PAPD and have no evidence to back your RIDICULOUS claims.
Way to go PAPD! Thank you for continuing to keep our streets safe 🙂
> Yes, I do believe that whenever a street crime is reported,
> the Tea Partiers automatically assume that the perp is
> non-white.
The Daily Post and the Daily News both carried pictures of the person arrested for these crimes. As it turns out, he is black.
Pro old…..Who is “we”? Speak for yourself.
“we still dont trust police. they are still anti muslim and racist. and anti semitic, truth be told.”
I’m pretty sure ‘anti-muslim’ and ‘anti-semitic’ are not generally used in the same paragraph. People are typically one or the other.
In the spirit of equality, you should include all of the world’s major religions: anti-Hindu, anti-Buddhist, etc. What sort of card-carrying racist wouldn’t hate all?
danos – You are wrong. Most Tea Partiers are anti-muslim and anti-semetic. They may hate one more than they hate the other, but their real preference is to destroy both.
Dear JustMe, Hmmm made this comment in connection to an on-going discussion about yesterday’s article, “Crime down in East Palo Alto; police chief to host meeting tonight,” and in response to someone identified as Wha?, who posted, “And crime is up in Palo Alto. Easy math there,” implying that now the EPA criminals moved to committing crimes in Palo Alto.
I commented that people from outside East Palo Alto come to our city and commit crimes or outside residents commit crimes in other communities and hide in EPA. Someone argued there was little or no way to know if my statement is true; only police, if they kept stats on the residencies of criminals. The answer is there is a way to know. I read articles that say ‘a person from [insert city] was arrested in EPA,’ but it makes me wonder if others maybe read it as ‘another East Palo Alto crime and criminal.’ And Hmmm is also correct in stating yesterday that EPA residents are aware of crimes, such as drug dealing and dumping, are committed by non-EPA residents in East Palo Alto. We know because we are informed by the law enforcement and community organizations of East Palo Alto. We know the above is a problem brought to us and it’s a problem we need to solve. Many in this city are active in combatting these problems. So I think East Palo Alto residents do feel rightfully defensive.
There is some comfort in knowing you, and I am sure others, do not automatically assume a perp is from EPA, but that is not the response I get. Most people I speak to still equate EPA with crime and ask me how I can I possibly live here and raise a family here! I assure you I would not put my family in harm’s way. People who live in this community love and protect their families just as people living in other communities do. East Palo Alto residents still battle the negative reputation it earned in the 90’s. We still endure negative press. So few people see all the good and know of the good people in this city. So little good press is written about EPA.
To: “Tea Party rhymes with bigotry”: It’s a good thing your comments are so far-fetched! If they weren’t, someone might actually take you seriously. Turns out the Tea Party is as diverse as any other group.
> I read articles that say ‘a person from [insert city]
> was arrested in EPA,
This is anecdotal, at best. Unless every crime committed in EPA is solved, and reported in the newspapers, there is simply no way to know what the ratio of home-grown vs out-of-town “perps” is.
In Palo Alto, the “closure rate” (meaning the number of crimes that the police are able to refer to the DA for prosecution) is about 15% for most crime catagories. So, no one knows where the perpetrators of the remaining 85% come from. A similar situation exists in EPA.
The PA police claim that about 65% of all the traffic violations that result in traffic stops are caused by non-Palo Altans.
> not much good press about EPA ..
Well .. who’s to blame for that?
Thinking about about high-visibility crime here in PA, there was the “Burt” Kay murder back in 1998–brutally killed by men from EPA. And then there was the theft of a car on the Stanford campus involving a PA Police Office, who had to kill the thief in defense of her own life.
At least one of the current spate of robberies has been identified as the work of an EPA resident.
So .. it’s hard not to think EPA when many kinds of crime occur in PA.
Dear Joe, unless every crime, period, is solved.
>>’The PA police claim that about 65% of all the traffic violations that result in traffic stops are caused by non-Palo Altans,’ and since you read the crime blotter, you see that there more Mountain View, Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Jose, etc. residents arrested for crimes in Palo Alto and this supports my comment that not ALL crime in EPA is committed by residents and not ALL crime in Palo Alto is committed by EPA residents. You said it yourself, ‘A similar situation exists in EPA.’
The problem is that when a crime is reported that the person is an East Palo Alto resident, that piece of information is what stands out and sticks. That crime then belongs to every single person living in EPA. An entire population is blamed. It is the same when a criminal’s race is reported. Suddenly every person of that race has to defend him/herself.
Do not misunderstand me. I am not defending the criminals who come from EPA, as I am sure you would not defend your neighbor if he or she committed a heinous crime. I am defending the rest of the community who are NOT criminals but are seen like criminals because of the actions of few. East Palo Alto today is not the East Palo Alto of the 90’s. And even in the 90’s, at the peak of crime in EPA, you could still find many decent, honest people living in EPA, but no one cared about them or their situation.
If there is little good press about East Palo Altans, it is not because little good happens in the city, because no one reports things like the young East Palo Alto child who found a wallet while shopping in downtown Palo Alto and returned it and its contents to the Los Altos resident because that is the way the child is being raised. This is only an example so don’t start debating how one good action does not undo the crimes, etc. If you do, you are missing the point.
> You said it yourself, ‘A similar situation exists in EPA.’
You misunderstand what was meant. Since the PA police don’t know who 85% of the criminals are, then they don’t know where they live. The similar situation that exists in EPA is that the police don’t know where the criminals live–maybe EPA, maybe not.
The names, and the city of residence, was published a couple years ago when the Taliban gang was taken down:
http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=11513
This list is a little confusing, since there is no reference to the crimes, and location of the crimes, that were used to justify the arrests of these dudes.
As to good news in EPA, the Weekly seems to carry EPA news. Seems that they are either ignoring your community, or doing the best they can. Which is it?
this kid grew up in palo alto and went to high school here. he did not come from another town, as a stranger, to do things to palo altans. he is ‘one of our own.’ one of many who slipped through the wide cracks of our schools, culture and town.
Dear Joe, no I did not misunderstand. You said, “Since the PA police don’t know who 85% of the criminals are, then they don’t know where they live. The similar situation that exists in EPA is that the police don’t know where the criminals live–maybe EPA, maybe not,” is saying the same thing I said, using different words. We are in agreement, but you are arguing only that I said there is a way to know because some reports due mention where the criminals are from. You just referenced one news story, though admittedly disorganized, that lists the offenders’ residences and 100% of these were from not from EPA, but they were in EPA committing crimes within the city.
We can gain access to these records via law enforcement although due to some limitations these may be incomplete. But enough statistics do exist to support this and we are made aware of some statistics that includes race and residency of the persons who are responsible for criminal acts in EPA. The point I am trying to make is that not ALL crime in EPA is committed by EPA residents, just as not ALL crimes in Palo Alto are committed by EPA residents either.
>>”As to good news in EPA, the Weekly seems to carry EPA news.”
I am not sure if I am equip to speak for those covering local news. I can only speak from experience and knowledge that EPA is made up of predominantly honest, decent, loving families and not predominantly of those few stupid, ignorant, and uncivilized criminals that prompt people, you, to, “think EPA when many kinds of crime occur in PA.”
>>”Seems that they are either ignoring your community, or doing the best they can. Which is it?” You can easily misinterpret my next question, so I preface it by saying that I am genuinely asking for your thought, since you posed the question, which do you think it is?
JustMe, thanks for your questions. I was responding specifically to the poster yesterday who, in response to the story on EPA crime rates going down, implied that was so because EPA residents are responsible for the crime increase in your town. I also am responding to the many, many comments that I constantly see on this forum that are nasty towards EPA residents w/out having facts in hand. Since I live here, I’m not that sensitive about these things. What I am sensitive about though are the biases, classism & racism I often see on this forum. Having lived in PA, Menlo & EPA my whole life, I’ve seen an increase in elitist attitudes in your town, to its detriment.
Joe – how about the heinous murder of Jennifer Schipsi, committed by a man who lived in PA as well as operated a business in PA? Funny that you picked a crime from many years ago, as opposed to the more recent Schipsi murder. If you want to go back years, how about the PA boy ho murdered the man in Santa Barbara? What about all the suicides in your town? Those, technically, are considered crimes & they effect many. I also used to babysit a PA teen whose PA boyfriend used to hit her. He attacked me when I prevented him from hitting her & his friend jumped me – all in the home of a well-respected surgeon who was out of town. Yeah, these things don’t always make the paper, but they happen.
How about that party in PA where someone ran someone else down? There’ve been also very violent crimes committed in PA by mentally unbalanced residents – how come those don’t stick in your mind?
I knew Bert Kay & he was a fine man. The gang that killed him was a threat to everyone who is law abiding, not just those living in PA.
As for lack of good press, it’s not EPA’s fault – it’s the media’s fault. You know, “if it bleeds it leads” – much sexier than reporting on the latest success of the summer jobs program for youth or the crime reduction task force’s work w/the police & other agencies.
You’d be well-served to update your frame of reference because w/budgets the way they are & the economy being what it is, it’s unlikely that your police dept. will increase crime prevention any time soon, but criminals from w//in & outside your town will continue to commit crimes there.
Member, I hope you read this post because your post about the wallet being found reminds me of a good story. My coworker’s backpack was stolen from his office, you know, one of those “secure” places where a bad is needed to enter, & it contained his wallet, laptop & other expensive items.
An EPA kid found it in Menlo, as he was walking home. My friend got a call from the kid. So knowing the area, I led my friend to the address. Everything was in the backpack except his cash. We pooled our cash together & gave the kid a generous reward. You shoulda seen the place the kid lived – those nasty one story apts. on W. Bayshore that make army barracks look nice. I took a dog out of that place years ago because the apt. manager was a meth head – he looked like someone out of “Deliverance” & was truly scary. Yeah, that kid lived in a place like that & I saw their place – true poverty. For the rest of the time they lived there, I would surreptitiously leave bags of food at their door. Their goodness still touches me. My friend, who made a good chunk o’ change when our stock vested, still talks about that kid. I hope he’s doing well.
I am in my early 20’s and grew up watching “Big” Dean Holmes terrorize Palo Alto. The moniker “Big” is due to the fact that there were two black kids of similar age growing up in EPA and attending Palo Alto schools in the mid 2000’s, one of them was small and the other big. Without digressing too much, I feel it necessary to mention the fact that “Small” Dean was shot and killed in an EPA gang conflict two years ago. Back to our central character…
“Big” Dean was the kind of kid who progressed from stealing kid’s lunch money in grade school to stealing laptops and assaulting people in high school. However, Dean’s most “notable” crimes (which were surprising omitted from the story), were the string of armed robberies he pulled on local gas station and 711’s approximately 3 years ago. Dean, who was already on parole, was convicted of the armed robberies after being snitched on by his accomplice Aaron “A-Dubbs” Williams. They both served a multi-year sentence for these crimes, but were released only to continue wrecking evermore havoc on the community. It’s pertinent to mention that Aaron similarly grew up in Palo Alto working his way up the petty crime latter. He too has found his way back to jail, as he’s serving a mandatory parole violation for check fraud.
With that bit of background information I hope everyone can understand why it is fortunate, for the sake of Palo Alto, that Dean has been arrested and will be brought to justice for his crimes.
Now in response to some of the posters here who feel the need to politicize everything:
The purpose of our law enforcement is to protect and serve the interests of our community. That means arresting those that harm the community, regardless of their race or creed. The disproportionate amount of East Palo Altans arrested is due to the fact that East Palo Altans commit a disproportionate amount of the crime in our community. The job of the PA police department is to arrest whomever harms the community. However, it is not the role of the police to fix more complex social problems such as abject poverty or habitual crime. These complex social problems are for academics to study and politicians to implement solutions. Thus, it is offensive to see pejorative terms such as of “racist,” “bigot,” or “pig” being thrown towards the police department when they fulfill their obligation to arrest criminals, who happen to be black or hispanic.
Hey Gunn Alum – how do you know that “The disproportionate amount of East Palo Altans arrested is due to the fact that East Palo Altans commit a disproportionate amount of the crime in our community.”?
“this kid grew up in palo alto and went to high school here. he did not come from another town, as a stranger, to do things to palo altans. he is ‘one of our own.’ one of many who slipped through the wide cracks of our schools, culture and town.”
> how about the heinous murder of Jennifer Schipsi, committed by
> a man who lived in PA
There are very few murders in PA (generally 0-3 a year). Given such low numbers, it’s difficult to generalize very much. However, if we were to research the home towns of those arrested, and convicted, of murdering PA residents, EPA would most likely be the town where the most non-resident murderers reside.
On the other hand, given the high rate of murder in EPA, the likelihood that the murderers of EPA residents are EPA residents is very high.
For better or worse, EPA has a very poor track record–where crime is concerned.
> how about the PA boy ho murdered the man in Santa Barbara
The PA police, the US DOJ and the FBI do not provide statistics about the home towns of people involved in crime. So, trying to make a case about anything based on anecdotal information is not particularly defensible. (The police also don’t track Palo Altans killed outside of Palo Alto, either.)
> w/budgets the way they are & the economy being what it is,
> it’s unlikely that your police dept. will increase crime
> prevention any time soon
The PA Police Dept. gets the largest share of the budget. What they do with this money is an open question. Sadly, they don’t seem to be using technology in a very effective way.
By the way, the EPA police has published an interesting annual report, which eclipses anything that PA has ever done. EPA has begun to employ technology (such as a gun shot detector and an automatic license plate detector). The EPA Police Chief does seem to be earning his money. Will be looking forward to the results of his efforts to rein in gangs in EPA.
Keep on keepin’ on, Joe. But seems to me you deliberately didn’t respond to my questions because you can’t. You are right, though, that your chief is behind in using technology. I also think he could do more to build morale of the citizens & pull folks together.
EPA is smaller in size & population, but it was still a challenge to get people to participate in meetings w/the chief, initially. The l
ack of internet access & ways to get info & some disinterest had to be tackled. While I’m pretty cynical about our chief, I recognize how well he’s leveraged technology, every member of staff & has worked hard w/the community to lower crime. He or other staff members show up for meetings – not just meeting that they initiate, but other community meetings.
EPA residents have lowered crime because they forced it. They had to quit pointing fingers & come up w/solutions. A lot of the forces that lead to crime of course aren’t the cops’ bailiwick, but what’s been recognized is that we’re all in this together so we all have to work together, & whatever in individual’s or group’s expertise has been leveraged. I’ve also been impressed by how many smart, educated, wise & committed people there are in EPA who give so much to make changes. That’s what’s required & we’re not done yet.
I am truly surprised that your chief hasn’t done more – it should be demanded of him to do more & he needs to be held accountable.
> . But seems to me you deliberately didn’t respond to my
> questions because you can’t
Do you have any idea what you are talking about .. or do you make a habit of talking out of any available orifice?
> I also think he could do more to build morale of the citizens
> & pull folks together.
You’re free to your opinion, but as a resident of EPA, you can’t possibly know about “morale” here in PA. Further, the role of the police (and its chief) is simply to enforce the law. There is no role for a “morale building” police force in a town of free, independent, souls. You really are sounding like someone from the ’60s who took a wrong turn in a time corridor.
> The lack of internet access
Internet access is available to anyhow with a telephone line, and the willingness to pay a few extra dollars a month for service. PCs/Laptops/Netbooks are now in the $300-$600 range.
> how well he’s leveraged technology
EPA has a long way to go to “leverage technology”. For instance, how many surveillance cameras are deployed? Is pattern matching software being used to identify “persons of interest” (like people with outstanding warrants) to make the surveillance cameras productive? When the answer to all of these questions is “yes”, then EPA will have something to crow about.
> EPA residents have lowered crime
Not nearly enough to make it a “safe” place to live and work:
http://www.cityrating.com/citycrime.asp?city=East+Palo+Alto&state=CA
In all most all of the categories tracked, the EPA crime rates are higher than the national average.
> I am truly surprised that your chief hasn’t done more
Again, as a resident of EPA, it’s unlikely that you know anything about the details of the PA police department that has not been in the news. On this last point, your opinion is of as much value as a coffee cup with a hole in the bottom.